A Morrison area resident and his dog encountered a mountain lion on their walk last week, and the cougar chased the canine some distance before running off.

According to Jennifer Churchill at Colorado Parks & Wildlife, the man was walking his dog on Wild Turkey Trail near Red Rocks Country Club on Nov. 21. He let the dog off her leash, and she ran ahead of him and out of his sight.

Last Thursday was a happy day for Aron and Bret, a South Jeffco couple.

As the first snow of the season fell outside the Jeffco courthouse, the pair finalized the adoption of their 5-month-old daughter, Kalyn.

They were among 16 families who participated in Adoption Options’ celebration of Adoption Day. The Denver-based adoption agency has placed more than 1,800 children in permanent homes since its inception in 1981.

This weekend, the Foothills Park & Recreation District is hosting one of its marquee events aimed at not only providing the community with an opportunity to purchase one-of-a-kind gifts for the holidays, but also giving budding artists a chance to sell their wares.

Jeffco government announced it is hosting its annual holiday bazaar on Thursday, Dec. 1, at the courthouse in Golden.

Now in its sixth year, the bazaar was created to provide Jefferson County employees an opportunity to sell their handmade gifts to the public ahead of the holidays, said Julie Story, the county’s digital marketing manager. A variety of gifts will be for sale, including festive handmade crafts, baked goods, cards, jewelry, woodworking and even name-brand goods.

Following the failure of Jeffco schools' ballot initiatives 3A and 3B — which would have resulted in a $535 million bond issue and generated $33 million annually in increased property taxes — the district says its top priority is keeping the teachers it has by improving compensation.